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No. 748,573. PATENTED JAN. 5, 1904.

J. I. AYER.

ELEGTRIGALLY HEATED TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1903.

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UNITED STATES Patented January 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES I. AYER, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SIMPLEX ELECTRIC HEATING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPO- ELECTRICALLY- HEATED TOOL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,573, dated January 5, 1904.

Application filed June 15, 1903. Serial No. 161,435. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES I. AYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Electrically-Heated Tools, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention relates to the heat control of electrically-heated tools, and has for its object the provision of means for automatically regulating the heating of the tool by a switch carried in the handle or some other portion of the tool. Heretofore rheostat-governing mechanisms for electrically-heated tools of this character have been provided under the control of switches in the stand and in various other ways; and my present invention relates to the application of heating resistance in the tool having sections capable of being placed in multiple or in series for maximum and minimum heating, respectively.

Further details of construction and operation of my invention will be pointed. out in the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated certain pre- 0 ferred embodiments of my invent-ion.

In the drawings Figures 1 and 2 are similar views in side elevation and largely diagrammatic, showing one embodiment of my invention.

In the drawings I have indicated a tool a on a stand 3, said tool being shown, for convenience of illustration, as a smoothing-iron, and I have merely indicated its handle a rather than showing it complete and in full lines, so as to display the constructional features of my invention in clearer detail. The heating-current is supplied by feed-wires Z) Z), and the rheostat. or variable heating resistance of the tool is shown as consisting of two parts 1) b Various kinds of switching devices may be employed in connection with my invention more broadly considered; but I prefer to employ (and herein claim in the more specific construction) a switch operated by a handlever h, consisting of two swinging contacts or conductor-arms b 19 connected by an insulating-link Z7 and normally moved to the position shown in Fig. 1 by a spring 5, the switch being provided with four connections Z9 Z9 6 13 the former two leading, respectively, from the feed-wires bb and the latter two from the respective resistances or parts of the rheostat, so that when the tool is not in use, as shown in Fig. 1, the resistances will 6o be in series; but when in use, as shown in Fig. 2, they will be in multiple. In Fig. 1 the heatingcurrent passes down wire I) through the resistance b to the switch along conductors 12 1) b and thence through resistance b to the line b, and in Fig. 2 the heating-current will flow from line I) through resistance b wire I), conductor 5 to wire I), and also part of the current will pass from wire I) through the switch by Wire 19 con- 7:: ductor b wire Z1 resistance b to wire I).

From the foregoing description it will be seen that themoment the operator takes hold of the tool-handle for the purpose of using the tool he thereby necessarily depresses the switch-lever and gives more heatingefliciency to the tool, or, in other words, the simple and necessary handling of the tool in use automatically supplies the tool with the increased current necessary to enable the tool to do ef- 8o fective work, while the placing of the tool out of use cuts out a portion of the heatingcurrent by placing the circuits in series, thereby keeping the tool in proper condition for instant use when required. 8

I prefer to place the heat-controller in the tool-handle, as this is an effective and convenient location for automatic control of the rheostat or variable resistance, and therefore I specifically claim said construction in cer- 9o tain of the appended claims; but it will also be understood that in the broader aspects of my invention I am not restricted thereto, as it is only necessary that the controlling device be so constructed and located with refer- 5 once to the rheostat in the tool as to become automatically operative to cut in or cut out the desired proportion of heating efficiency, according to whether the tool is in use or out of use.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An electrically heated tool, provided with a variable resistance, comprising two parts, a switch, and connections from said resistance to the source of current-supply and to said switch, and means automatically actuated by the placing of the tool in use, for operating said switch, said two parts being thrown thereby in multiple,and being at other times in series.

2. An electrically-heated tool, containinga variable resistance, comprising two parts, an automatic handle-switch, and circuit connections controlled thereby for enabling said two parts to be placed in multiple and in series for maximum and minimum heating efficiency respectively.

3. An electrically-heated tool, containing a Variable resistance comprising two parts, means including a switch and circuit connections enabling said two parts to be placed in multiple and in series for maximum and minimum heating efficiency respectively, and means for operating said switch automatically, upon the placing of the tool out of use, for placing said two parts in series.

4:. In an electrically-operated tool, a variable resistance comprising two parts, a switch comprising two swinging contacts, and connections from said resistance to said contacts permitting the placing of said two parts in series or in multiple according to the position of said swinging contacts, and means operated automatically by the placing of said tool in use for swinging said contacts to place said two parts inmultiple.

5. In an electrically-operated tool, a variable resist-ance comprising two parts, a switch comprising two swinging contacts, and connections from said resistance to said contacts, permitting the placing of said two parts in series orin multiple, according to the position of said swinging contacts, and means operated automatically by the placing of said tool out of use for swinging said contacts to place said two parts in series.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J AS. I. AYER.

Witnesses:

STEPHEN E. WooDBURY, DORA A. PROOTOR. 

